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UWv^m' OF ILUNOW 

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Universal  Military  Training 


Add  ress  Delivered  at  the  Convention  of 
44  Uncle  Sam’s  Safety  League" 


The  National  Defense  League 


America 


December  twenty-ninth,  nineteen  fourteen 
Fort  Dearborn  Hotel,  Chicago 

BY 

CHARLES  BROCKWAY  GIBSON 


Chicago,  January,  Nineteen  Fifteen 


5  Fid 


UNIVERSAL  MILITARY  TRAINING 


Now  that  all  the  so-called  Christian  Nations  of  Europe  are 
engaged  in  war,  the  people  of  America  are  awakening  to  the 
necessity  of  some  adequate  military  and  naval  equipment,  not 
for  aggression,  but  for  protection  against  aggression,  either  from 
without  or  within. 

The  complete  state  of  unpreparedness  of  our  country  from 
invasion  by  a  foreign  power  and  our  almost  complete  lack  of 
knowledge  of  military  matters,  particularly  by  the  masses,  is 
a  matter  of  grave  concern  and  of  the  deepest  interest  to  all 
ioyal  Americans. 

In  view  of  this  fact,  I  take  the  libertv  of  herewith  submit- 
ting  an  idea  which  has  been  in  my  mind  for  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century  and  which  was  considered  by  no  less  an  authority 
than  the  late  President,  Benjamin  Harrison,  in  an  article  which 
appeared  in  the  Century  Magazine  the  latter  part  of  1891  or 
early  in  1892. 

Without  discussing  the  conditions  further,  I  submit  the 
following : 

That  the  United  States  government  require  every  young 
man  of,  say  eighteen  years  of  age,  to  enter  a  special  course  of 
military  instruction  in  training  schools  or  other  similar  institu¬ 
tions,  there  to  be  given  a  thorough  physical  training  and  up¬ 
building  military  drill  and  such  other  instruction  as  shall  be 
useful  and  proper  for  the  making  of  a  well  drilled  soldier  for  a 
'Citizen  Reserve,  in  case  the  nation  needs  him  in  foreign 
invasion  or  from  domestic  strife,  such  period  of  training  to  con¬ 
tinue  for  four  years  of  the  usual  school  or  college  duration. 

During  this  time  the  young  men  should  be  given  a  good 
education  equivalent  to  that  of  our  high  schools  or  academies, 
and  that  they  should  be  taught,  in  addition  to  the  customary 
branches,  America^  history  and  Economics,  such  other  branches 
as  appertain  to  a  good  military  or  naval  education  and  that  they 
be  also  taught  love  of  country,  loyalty  to  and  reverence  for  the 
flag  in  all  that  it  should  represent  to  them  and  to  the  world  at 
large. 

During  this  period  the  young  men  could  and  in  most  cases 
.would  be  able  to  choose  callings  or  vocations  best  suited  to  their 
tastes  and  talents  and  at  the  close  of  this  period,  fit  themselves 


for  professional,  technical  or  business  lives.  Under  this  system 
they  would  retire  far  better  educated  and  physically  up-built 
and  up-set  men  than  from  sixty  to  eighty  per  cent  of  our 
younger  male  population. 

At  the  close  of  this  period  of  training  and  education,  the 
young  men  should  be  put  on  a  Citizen  Reserve,  subject  to  call 
for  a  yearly  service  of  from  four  to  six  weeks  of  camp  life,  for 
further  instruction  and  review,  such  as  is  in  vogue  at  the  Stu¬ 
dents  Military  Instruction  Camps  recently  established  for  sum¬ 
mer  work  at  Gettysburg,  Ludington  and  California.  At  the 
age  of  forty  they  should  be  retired  permanently  and  should  be 
subject  to  call  only  in  case  of  domestic  strife  or  foreign  invasion 
and  should  be  classed  like  the  body  known  as  the  Landwehr,  in 
Germany. 

By  such  a  system  all  immigrants  of  school  age  could  and 
would  become  more  rapidly  Americanized  and  be  made  better 
citizens  than  through  a  lifetime  of  contact  with  the  masses. 
Many  of  them  would  be  saved  from  "the  lives  of  criminals  and 
derelicts  where  unfortunately  many  of  our  younger  immigrants 
wind  up,  thus  becoming  charges  of  the  state  and  nation  'and  a 
menace  to  our  civilization. 

This  proposition  need  not  be  confined  to  military  training- 
alone,  but  may  be  applied  to  naval  instruction  as  well.  It  would 
give  the  nucleus  of  an  army  of  Citizen  Reserve  of  well  trained 
and  well  educated  young  men  from  every  class  and  sphere 
of  life  who  would  become  loyal  and  law-abiding  citizens.  The 
discipline  of  such  training  and  education  would  promote  and 
produce  respect  for  the  authority  of  superiors  in  rank  or  office, 
making  a  class  of  clean-cut  men  of  good  habits  and  impulses. 
They  would  learn  how  to  obey  and  without  this  they  could  never 
learn  to  command. 

We  have  in  this  country  a  system  of  compulsory  education 
or  attendance  at  the  common  schools,  then  why  can  it  not  be  ex¬ 
tended  to  include  this  or  a  similar  course  of  training  and  instruc¬ 
tion?  We  are  told  that  athletes  make  the  best  soldiers  and  it 
is  generally  conceded  that  soldiers  usually  make  the  best  and 
most  loyal  men.  Are  there  any  more  loyal  citizens  than  those 
who  served  in  the  Civil  War,  no  matter  whether  they  wore  the 
blue  or  the  grey? 

The  proposition  would,  to  my  mind,  be  the  best  investment 
the  United  States  could  make  for  it  would  give  the  nation  a 
Citizen  Reserve  of  many  millions  within  a  few  years,  which 
would  be  made  up  of  loyal,  educated  and  trained  men,  who  in 


grateful  return  for  their  education  and  training,  would  rush 
gladly  to  the  defense  of  their  country. 

There  is  little  or  no  danger  of  building  up  a  military  aris¬ 
tocracy  in  this  country  for  the  young  men  would  come  from 
every  station  in  life,  from  the  farm  and  the  shop,  the  country  and 
the  city,  the  children  of  the  rich  and  the  poor,  and  from  every 
political  and  religious  faith. 

For  years  the  military  authorities  of  America  have  been 
preaching  PREPAREDNESS.  They  have  not  asked  for  a  large 
army  or  navy,  but  for  the  building  up  of  a  reserve  force  of 
Citizen  Soldiery  in  which  the  individual  would  know  enough 
of  arms  and  field  work  to  make  it  easy  to  get  him  in  shape  for 
the  field  or  line.  We  are  told  that  our  small  standing  army  is 
so  scattered  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to  muster  and  dis¬ 
patch  a  single  brigade  for  any  distance  in  a  single  day  and  that 
it  would  be  weeks  before  we  could  get  together  half  a  hundred 
thousand  for  service  at  any  one  point.  We  are  also  told  that 
our  navy  is  short  18,0C0  men  and  that  a  further  shortage  of  40,000 
is  in  sight.  Now,  with  a  coast  line  of  nearly  6,000  miles  and  a 
distance  of  nearly  5,000  miles  from  coast  to  coast,  by  way  of 
the  Panama  canal,  and  with  an  army  which  would  be  merely  a 
plaything  with  any  great  military  power,  where  would  the 
United  States  be  if  suddenly  called  upon  to  defend  herself 
against  a  foreign  foe? 

As  to  the  situation  now  existing  permit  me  to  submit  the 
opinions  of  authorities  and  experts: 

Hon.  A.  P.  Gardner,  member  of  Congress  for  Massachusetts, 
says :  “I  have  sat  here  like  a  coward  in  silence  for  a  dozen 
vears  and  listened  while  men  told  us  that  the  United  States  can 
safely  depend,  in  time  of  war,  on  the  state  militia  and  on  the 
navy  service.  All  the  time  I  knew  it  was  not  so.  The  Spanish 
War  was  declared  toward  the  end  of  April,  there  was  a  call  for 
125, COO  volunteers  at  once  and  another  for  75,000  in  May.  Did 
these  volunteers  mobilize  equipped,  with  the  rapidity  of  the 
wind?  They  did  not!  A  good  many  of  them  have  not  mobilized 
yet.”  Again :  “As  you  know,  there  are  many  men  who  believe 
that  the  reserve  question  is  the  most  pressing  of  all  and  the  idea 
of  an  adequate  army  and  navy  has  a  great  following.” 

Hon.  George  E.  Foss,  Congressman-elect  from  Illinois,  says : 

“1  will  be  very  glad  to  give  the  matter  my  serious  consider¬ 
ation  ;  as  you  know,  I  am  for  a  strong  army  and  navy.” 


Admiral  George  Dewey  says: 

“The  time  when  the  general  public  finds  its  serious  atten¬ 
tion  turning,  possibly  for  the  first  time  in  our  history,  to  the 
great  problems  of  national  defense  is  certainly  most  opportune 
for  the  circulation  of  views  which  represent  mature  thought  on 
the  subject.  In  my  judgment,  those  who  assist  in  that  work 
render  a  patriotic  service  of  the  highest  merit.” 

Frederic  William  Wile,  former  Berlin  correspondent  of  “The 
Daily  Mail”,  London,  England,  the  “New  York  Times”  and 
“Chicago  Tribune,”  in  a  speech  before  the  “American  Luncheon 
Club”  of  London,  says: 

“If  we  cannot  fight  today,  in  Heaven's  name  let  us  prepare 
for  tomorrow.  Let  us,  while  there  is  still  time,  create  an  army 
worthy  of  the  name.  Let  us  build  warships  of  the  utmost 
capacity  of  our  financial  and  manufacturing  resources.  Let  us 
oust  from  office,  as  fast  as  oportunity  ofifers,  the  party  or  parties 
that  oppose  naval  or  military  legislation.  Let  us  take  the  lesson 
from  this  war  and  banish  to  the  realm  of  ‘Never  Again’  the 
Utopian  theory  of  Universal  Brotherly  Love  and  Disarmament. 
Let  us  realize,  forevermore,  in  the  light  of  the  bloody  history 
now  making  before  our  eyes,  that  the  race  is  to  the  prepared  and 
to  the  strong  and  to  them  only.  For  then,  though  it  will  not 
have  been  vouchsafed  us  to  strike  a  blow  for  our  friends  in  their 
hour  of  need,  we  shall  have  at  least  struck  for  ourselves  and 
for  all  that  is  dear  and  precious  to  our  posterity.” 

Other  countries  have  systems  of  military  training  which 
we  may  well  consider,  two  of  which  I  will  mention : 

In  Switzerland  from  the  ages  of  8  to  17  years,  boys  receive 
military  instruction  in  the  public  schools  and  when  they  enter 
the  “aufzug”  they  are  prepared  for  actual  training  in  arms.  In 
the  first  year  of  service  they  spend  from  67  to  92  days  in  camp 
maneuvers,  depending  on  whether  they  belong  to  the  infantry, 
cavalry,  artillery  or  engineers.  In  subsequent  years  they  serve 
13  days.  The  total  service  for  thirteen  years  is  141  days  for 
infantry,  146  days  for  engineers,  160  days  for  cavalry  and  163 
days  for  artillery,  making  a  total  of  less  than  six  months  for 
the  period. 

In  Australia  boys  begin  training  at  the  age  of  12  years. 
Junior  cadets  are  from  12  to  14  years,  Seniors  cadets,  14  to  18 
years  of  age,  then  come  the  National  Guard  of  all  able  bodied 
men  between  18  and  26  years  of  age.  Seniors  get  64  hours  in 


camp  each  year,  the.  National  Guard,  16  days  training  each  year 
for  six  years.  The  law  is  expected  to  furnish  by  A.  D.  1919, 
100,000  seniors  and  128,000  militia  in  training. 

The  above  system  appears  to  be  along  the  lines  of  the  Boy 
Scout  movement,  which  is  good  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  we  must 
prepare  today  for  a  contingency  which  may  arise  tomorrow.  We 
propose  to  begin  where  the  Boy  Scout  movement  leaves  off. 

By  the  Morrill  Land  Grant  Act  of  1862,  which  we  are  in¬ 
formed  originated  with  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  which  became  a 
law  by  his  signature,  there  were  founded  and  endowed  colleges 
for  the  education  of  the  children  of  the  masses,  “In  the  Arts  and 
Sciences  of  Agriculture  and  the  Mechanic  Arts  and  not  excluding 
other  Scientific  and  Classical  branches,  and  including  MILI¬ 
TARY  TACTICS.”  Resulting  from  this  there  has  been  estab¬ 
lished  in  nearly  every  state,  a  university  or  an  agricultural  and 
mechanical  college  where  military  science  and  tactics  are  taught 
to  a  greater  or  less  degree  of  perfection,  but  unfortunately  such 
studies  are  not  obligatory  on  all  able  bodied  students  except  in 
a  few  states.  As  near  as  we  have  been  able  to  learn,  the  spirit 
as  well  as  the  letter  of  the  law  has  been  observed  and  main¬ 
tained  in  the  state  of  Illinois  better  than  in  the  other  states. 
Here  all  able  bodied  male  students  are  required  to  take  military 
instruction  and  drill  three  or  four  hours  per  week  for  the  first 
two  years  of  their  college  courses.  The  brigade  of  cadets  here 
is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  country,  and  includes  beside  the 
private  soldiers,  two  military  bands  of  75  each,  a  light  battery, 
drum  and  bugle  corps,  and  signal  corps.  The  brigade  is  made 
up  of  students  from  all  classes  and  departments,  the  agricultural 
and  mechanical,  professional  and  engineering,  the  rich  and  the 
poor  and  are  of  every  shade  of  political  and  religious  faith. 

The  full  line  of  student  or  cadet  officers  of  the  institution  are 
from  the  very  best  material  and  are  of  the  highest  scholastic 
standing.  At  the  close  of  the  four  years  of  service  and  instruc¬ 
tion,  they  leave  the  university  with  as  good  an  education,  in  a 
general  way,  as  those  from  W est  Point  or  Annapolis  and  are 
competent  in  most  cases  to  fill  positions  in  the  army  or  militia 
with  credit  to  themselves  and  honor  to  the  Government  and 
their  Alma  Mater.* 

Here  then  is  the  nucleus  of  a  system  of  the  kind  of  training 
and  instruction  above  referred  to  and  by  the  extension  and 
elaboration  of  the  system,  each  of  these  state  institutions  could 


turn  out  in  a  few  years,  enough  well  trained  young  men  to 
officer  an  army  of  a  million  of  men  and  a  Citizen  Reserve  of 
not  less  than  ten  millions  of  well  trained  men. 

With  such  a  reserve  well  equipped  and  kept  in  training  and 
trim  by  encampment  every  year,  this  country  would  have  an 
army  for  emergencies  not  to  be  lightly  dealt  with  by  any  foe. 

We  regret  to  admit  that  there  has  been  adverse  criticism 
on  the  teaching  of  military  science  in  the  agricultural  and  other 
colleges.  Officers  are  often  lax  in  their  instruction  and  dicipline 
and  this  is  frequently  due  to  the  boards  of  trustees  and  faculties 
being  opposed  to  such  instruction.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
government  has  been  not  only  liberal  but  quite  philanthropic, 
it  is  to  be  regretted  that  these  bodies  show  so  much  short¬ 
sightedness.  The  United  States  Government  has  generously 
provided  that  any  college  having  150  male  students  may  have 
an  instructor  from  the  army  or  navy,  but  not  to  exceed  50  army 
officers  and  10  navy  officers  may  be  appointed  at  any  one  time. 
Since  the  act  of  1888  this  number  has  been  increased  to  75  army 
officers  and  10  navy  officers. 

There  are  now  102  schools  in  the  United  States  teaching 
military  science  and  yet  the  total  number  of  students  enrolled  in 
these  schools  in  1913  was  but  29,401  and  but  about  60  per  cent 
of  these  were  taking  military  drill,  a  small  number,  indeed,  com¬ 
pared  with  what  the  government  ought  to  expect  or  demand  and 
infinitely  too  small  for  the  needs  of  the  country  in  its  equipment 
and  officering  of  its  needful  army. 

Order  No.  155  of  the  War  Department  provides  that:  “It 
shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Professor  of  Military  Science  and  Tactics 
to  enforce  Military  dicipline  at  all  times  when  students  are 
engaged  in  military  instruction.” 

In  regard  to  this  proposition,  we  get  the  opinion  of  a  French 
officer  who  knows  the  military  side  of  the  situation  and  his 
opinion  is  certainly  worth  paying  some  heed  to.  Pie  says: 

“Without  Discipline,  courage  is  nothing.  Read  the  psychol¬ 
ogy  of  mob  spirit.  I  don’t  mean  howling,  destructive  mobs,  I 
mean  groups  of  people — and  you  will  know  that  theoretically 
and  in  practice,  a  crowd  is  influenced  by  the  lowest  minds. 

“Fear  is  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world,  it  is_the  governing 
motive  of  every  life, — fear  of  poverty,  fear  of  exposure,  fear  of 


consequences,  fear  of  failure — there  is  no  such  actual  quality 
as  courage.  It  is  fear  conquered,  under  control,  but  without 
discipline  men  are  going  to  revert  to  the  primeval  quality,  fear, 
and  do  things  which  as  gallant,  honest  gentlemen  of  civil  life 
they  would  blush  to  think  of.” 

Our  worthy  Secretary  of  State  tells  us  that  were  the  Presi¬ 
dent  to  issue  a  call  to  arms,  between  sunrise  and  sunset,  a  million 
loyal  men  would  rush  to  the  defense  of  the  colors.  Suppose  that 
is  so,  what  are  we  to  do  with  them?  They  would  be  simply  a 
disorganized  mob,  possibly  an  intelligent  and  loyal  mob,  but  a 
mob  nevertheless.  With  what  would  this  mob  of  a  million  men 
be  armed? — with  bottles  of  grape  juice? — with  unfermented 
patriotism? — we  have  not  enough  rides  or  ammunition. 

Wm.  E.  Stone  of  Indiana,  says  :  “I  think  it  Js  of  the  greatest 
importance  that  the  students  of  colleges  do  have  instruction  in  the 
knowledge  and  in  the  principles  of  Military  Science.  There  is  an 
excellent  reason  for  that,  and  the  graduates  of  any  of  these,  are 
particularly  qualified  for  service  to  the  country  in  times  of  war." 

As  to  the  effect  of  Scholastic  Military  Training,  the  Adjutant 
General’s  report  of  1892  says:  “Mental  development  is  as  im¬ 
portant  a  part  of  the  soldier’s  education  as  physical,  and  perhaps 
more  so,  and  as  much  has  been  accomplished,  and  still  more  at¬ 
tempted,  to  make  our  army  lead  in  this  respect,  as  it  does  now  in 
quality,  pay,  quarters  and  general  comforts-.” 

Major  General  Leonard  Wood  says:  “We  are  trying  to  de¬ 
velop  a  sense  of  responsibility  in  the  young  men  of  the  country, 
a  sense  of  responsibility  toward  their  military  duty.  We  educate 
them  to  perform  all  sorts  of  civil  duties.  We  do  not  want  to 
make  professional  soldiers  or  jingoes,  but  we  want  to  plant  in 
our  people  a  sensible  and  sane  idea  of  PREPARATION,  what 
it  means  and  what  its  value  is  ;  its  value  not  only  as  tending  to 
improvement  in  fighting  but  its  value  as  a  matter  of  humanity, 
because  if  we  are  well  prepared  war  will  not  be  thrust  upon  us, 
and  if  it  is  thrust  upon  us  we  will  be  able  to  make  it  short  and 
carry  it  through  with  a  minimum  loss  because  our  officers  and 
men  know  how  to  perform  their  duties  effectively.” 

Col.  H.  O.  S.  Heistand,  Department  Adjutant  U.  S.  Army, 
says:  “The  Army  of  the  United  States  should  be  a  UNIVER¬ 
SITY  for  defense,  in  which  men  should  serve  until  they  are 
qualified  soldiers.  This  country  is  good  and  every  man  who 
lives  under  its  protection  should  fit  himself  to  aid  in  its  defense.” 


President  W  ilson  and  others,  say  that  the  country  does  not 
want  to  be  turned  into  a  military  camp ;  that  is  quite  true,  but 
there  is  no  more  danger  of  turning  it  into  a  military  camp  than 
there  is  of  turning  it  into  a  great  religious  or  athletic  camp  be¬ 
cause  certain  people  and  churches  hold  yearly  camp  meetings  or 
because  other  thousands  frequent  the  baseball  and  football  games 
to  enjoy  the  sport  and  observe  the  skill  of  these  well  trained  men.* 
We  hear  that  the  President  does  believe  in  the  necessity  for  “mar¬ 
tial  defense."  Will  he  kindly  explain  just  what  he  does  mean  and 
will  he  define  his  ideas  of  “Citizen  Soldiery?" 

We  are  all  pacificists,  none  of  us  want  war,  neither  do  we 
want  famine  or  fire,  but  the  best  way  to  avoid  these  calamities, 
is  to  fortify  ourselves  against  them.  How  can  we  fortify  our¬ 
selves  better  against  war  or  invasion  than  cultivating  a  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  Art  and  Science  of  Military  Defense,  as  we  are  now 
cultivating  the  Art  and  Science  of  Agriculture  and  Manufacture. 
By  giving  our  young  men  training  in  the  manly  art  of  self  defense 
of  both  body  and  country,  by  making  them  into  well  built, 
healthy,  law  abiding  and  liberty  loving  citizens,  who  will  at  the 
same  time  be  respectors  of  order  and  authority  as  represented  by 
those  whom  the  people  have  chosen  or  appointed  to  administer 
the  affairs  of  government,  we  will  have  accomplished  much.  We 
do  not  aim  to  make  soldiers  alone,  but  soldierly  men,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  provide  for  defense  in  the  future  in  case  of  the  na¬ 
tion's  need.  Armies  do  not  necessarily  cause  war  but  have  pre¬ 
vented  war,  any  one  conversant  with  history  knows,  this:  Han¬ 
nibal's  successes  in  the  beginning  of  the  Punic  Wars  were  as 
much  because  of  Rome’s  unpreparedness  as  because  of  Hannibal's 
great  generalship. 

In  the  light  of  civilization,  as  we  see  it  in  Europe  today,  it 
is  the  veriest  nonsense  to  talk  about  disarmament  and  peace, 
peace  being  maintained  depending  solely  on  the  goodness  of  men 
and  nations,  a  sort  of  a  Christian  Science  faith,  a  faith  in  the 
absent  treatment,  as  it  were.  The  human  race  is  not  so  far  ad¬ 
vanced  from  the  barbarism  of  the  Dark  Ages  as  we  might  believe 
or  even  hope,  if  any  credence  is  to  be  placed  in  the  reports  we 
get  from  across  the  water,  hence  it  is  well  for  us  to  sit  up  and 
take  notice. 

These  issues  must  be  squarely  met,  there  is  no  middle 
course.  It  would  be  just  as  logical  to  rely  upon  protection  and 
defense  without  armament  and  preparation  as  to  rely  solely  on  the 
“Science  of  Health”  to  ward  off  the  ravages  of  cholera  and  famine 


and  fires.  We  have  gotten  beyond  the  efficacy  of  the  absent 
treatment  method. 

Washington  charged  the  nation  to  prepare  for  War  in  times 
*  of  Peace,  but  we  would  better  prepare  for  Peace  in  times  of  War. 
It  does  not  follow  that  we  must  have  war  because  of  being 
prepared  ;  we  could  better  avoid  war  by  being  prepared,  history 
proves  this.  In  every  war  this  country  has  ever  had  it  was 
never  prepared.  The  War  of  the  Revolution,  that  of  1812,  the 
Mexican  War,  the  Civil  War  and  the  Spanish-American  War 
found  us  unprepared  in  every  particular.  Wisdom  counsels 
us  to  act  while  we  yet  have  the  time  to  be  so  prepared  for  war 
that  we  shall  forever  have  peace  even  if  we  have  to  fight  to  main¬ 
tain  it. 

Would  a  farmer  refuse  to  fence  in  his  land  to  protect  his 
crops  from  foragers  and  thieves ;  would  a  householder  decline 
to  have  locks  and  bolts  on  his  doors  to  keep  out  burglars  ;  would 
a  sane  man  refuse  to  properly  clothe  himself  against  the  winter’s 
blasts?  If  so,  then  sensible  people  would  surely  say  there  is 
something  lacking  in  the  disregarding  of  Self-preservation,  which 
is  the  first  law  of  life. 

Military  training  will  not  unfit  a  man  for  business  or  the 
professions,  but  will  put  him  in  better  shape  to  battle  with  the 
world  and  life.  A  knowledge  of  order  and  discipline  will  not 
unfit  any  man.  This  is  quite  clearly  proven  in  the  case  of 
Germany ;  during  the  past  thirty  years  there  has  been  more 
militarism  than  in  generations  before,  yet  in  spite  of  this  Ger¬ 
many  has  succeeded  in  business  and  in  the  professions  more 
than  any  other  country,  during  the  same  period.  Germany’s 
population  has  doubled,  her  wealth  has  doubled,  she  has  made 
greater  advancement  in  science  and  in  material  welfare  than 
any  other  land  across  the  water,  and  in  the  face  of  this  great 
military  preparedness,  Germany  has  not  had  a  war  in  the  past 
forty  years.  Germany  is  not  fighting  because  of  being  prepared, 
but  because  the  other  nations  were  evidently  unprepared. 

The  writer  has  visited  many  foreign  lands,  he  has  seen  the 
soldiery  of  most  of  them  and  has  a  personal  acquaintance  with 
many.  He  has  some  knowledge  of  the  armies  of  Germany, 
France,  England,  Greece,  Turkey,  Russia  and  also  of  Canada 
and  Mexico,  and  knows  something  of  their  personnel  and  fitness. 
No  finer  bodies  of  men  can  be  found  than  in  most  of  these 
European  armies.  They  are  well  up-set,  well  drilled,  healthy 


i 


and  manly  fellows  in  their  bearing  on  parade  or  in  private  life. 
Many  of  them  when  they  entered  the  army  were  not  robust, 
but  were  hollow  chested,  stoop  shouldered,  and  in  many  ways 
under  the  average  physical  standard,  but  within  one  year  after 
military  service  began,  they  developed  into  strong  up-set  athletes 
and  soldiers  as  hardy  as  mountaineers  or  as  the  American 
Cowboy. 

America  has  been  the  sanctuary  of  the  oppressed  as  she 
was  from  the  first  when  the  fathers  sailed  away  from  their 
home  countries  to  create  a  new  nation,  in  a  new  land  far  away 
from  the  Monarchies  of  the  Old  World,  and  all  over  the  world  the 
oppressed  are  turning  their  wistful  eyes  to  us  and  are  stretching 
out  torn  and  bleeding  hands,  beseeching  us  for  sympathy  and 
succor.  Something  beside  weak  and  sloppy  Peace  Talk  is  ex¬ 
pected  of  us  and  we  will  fail  in  our  God-given  privileges  if  we 
do  not  show  ourselves  earnest,  forceful  and  strong. 

Moral  virility  is  what  gave  America  its  lustre  in  its  classic 
days  of  old;  let  us,  therefore,  not  dim  this  lustre  by  substituting 
indecision,  careless  confidence  and  foolhardy  unpreparedness 
for  this  virility.  We  are  here  to  fulfill  a  plain  duty,  the  duty  of 
taking  thought  for  tomorrow.  People  of  the  Monarchies  need 
not  think  for  themselves,  they  have  their  thinking  done  for  them 
but  people  of  a  great  democracy  must  think  and  act  for  them¬ 
selves  if  they  would  perpetuate  the  heritage  left  by  the  Fathers. 


This,  my  countrymen,  is  my  argument  as  counsel  for  The 
Defense. 


CHARLES  BROCKWAY  GIBSON, 


1505  Morse  Ave.,  Chicago,  Ill. 


*NOTE. — Under  the  efficient  management  of  Major  Frank  D. 
Webster,  20th  Infantry,  U.  S.  Army,  Professor  of  Military  Science  and 
Commandant  of  the  University  of  Illinois  Brigade  of  Cadets,  there 
has  been  built  up  an  organization  which  is  attracting  the  notice  of  the 
military  departments  of  other  universities  and  colleges  throughout  the 
country.  There  were  registered  this  year — 1914-15 — 3,000  able  bodied 
male  students,  subject  to  military  service  and  training.  There  is  a 
brigade  of  5  regiments,  three  military  bands,  aggregating  165  members, 
a  drum  and  bugle  corps,  a  signal  corps  and  a  light  battery.  These 
students  receive  the  best  instruction  possible  to  be  given  them,  with 
the  equipment  the  United  States  government  provides.  The  Rifle  Club 
began  service  in  class  “C”  and  through  their  excellent  marksmanship, 
won  over  all  competitors  the  past  year  and  were  raised  to  class  “A”. 
The  University  of  Illinois  sent  a  larger  body  of  students  to  the  summer 
military  camp  at  Ludington,  Mich.,  than  any  other  similar  institution 
in  the  country. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  United  States  and  the  State  govern¬ 
ments  do  not  furnish  these  state  institutions  with  as  complete  equip¬ 
ment  as  is  furnished  at  West  Point  and  Annapolis,  for  under  these 
circumstances,  these  institutions  could  turn  out  each  year  a  body  of 
young  men  as  well  educated  and  as  well  trained  as  are  turned  out  of 
these  government  schools.  Under  those  circumstances  we  would  have 
a  body  of  men  each  year  capable  of  imparting  valuable  knowledge  to 
the  masses  who  should  be  taught  to  be  soldierly  men,  capable  of  self 
protection,  and  capable  of  serving  their  country  in  times  of  need,  not 
as  mobs,  but  as  well  trained  and  effective  soldiers  or  sailors. 

The  Outlook  says:  “To  prepare  to  protect  ourselves  from  the 
ignorance,  the  self-interest,  and  the  injustice  of  others  is  in  no  way  to 
lose  sight  of  the  demands  of  that  ideal  knowledge,  world  democracy,  and 
international  justice  to  which  we,  as  a  people,  have  dedicated  the 
United  States.  *  *  No  man  and  no  woman  seeks  a  helpmate  who  is  so 

weak  as  to  be  incapable  of  injustice  and  tyranny.  The  ideal  husband  is 
not  found  in  the  man  too  feeble  to  beat  his  wife:  he  is  found  in  the  man 
whose  self-control,  whose  sense  of  responsibility,  whose  devotion,  makes 
such  an  action  unthinkable.” 

The  Outlook  further  says:  “The  first  duty  of  a  government  is  to 
protect  the  persons  and  property  of  its  citizens.  ___  If  it  is  not  equipped 
for  rendering  this  service  it  does  not  deserve  to  be  called  a  government. 

*  If  it  fails  to  furnish  necessary  protection  because  it  is  not 
as  strong  as  its  assailant,  we  do  not  blame  it — we  pity  it.  If  it  fails  to 
furnish  necessary  protection  because  of  its  cowardice  or  carelessness, 
we  do  not  pity  it — we  blame  it.  *  ,  *  *  Democracy  is  self-gov¬ 
erning;  democracy  must  also  be  self  protecting.  *  *  *  A  dis- 


organized  body  of  men  armed  for  battle  but  not  under  constituted 
authority,  is  a  mob.  An  organized  and  co-operating  body  of  men  armed 
for  battle,  under  constituted  authority,  is  an  army.  *  *  *  They 

must  know  how  to  combine  and  co-operate  under  constituted  authority, 
and  must  be  trained  in  habits  of  prompt  obedience  that  they  may  work 
together  under  one  head.  *  *  *  A  mob  is  no  protection  to  a 

people.’’ 

Secretary  of  War  Garrison  says:  “We  must  get  a  reserve  of  trained 
men  in  the  states,  a  reserve  of  army  officers  to  command  the  men.” 

Ex-President  Roosevelt  says:  “Nations  that  are  prepared  for  war 
occasionally  suffer  from  it,  but  if  they  are  unprepared  for  it  they  suffer 
far  more  often  and  far  more  radically.” 

There  are  many  others  who  evidently  think  as  we  do  in  relation 
to  building  up  a  national  reserve.  Dr.  G.  Frank  Lydston,  who  has 
served  in  the  National  Guard  of  Illinois  and  also  in  the  Volunteer  Army 
during  the  Spanish  war,  says  as  follows,  in  the  current  number  of  the 
Press  Club  Scoop: 

“This  is  how  to  build  up  a, reserve. 

“1.  Institute  military  training  in  all  schools,  beginning  with  the 
primary  grades  and  in  all  penal  institutions. 

“2.  Have  short  term  enlistments  in  the  regular  army. 

“3.  Encourage  the  formation  of  rifle  clubs  and  private  military 
organizations  under  governmental  supervision  and  support. 

“4.  Pay  the  National  Guardsman  for  his  service. 

“5.  Institute  training  camps  for  National  Guardsmen  in  which  actual 
war  conditions  are  closely  imitated. 

“And  I  would  suggest  first,  the  establishment  of  military  posts, 
governed  entirely  by  the  utility  in  giving  military  training  to  the 
National  Guard.  As  matters  now  stand,  the  military  post  is  of  little 
use  in  this  respect.  The  regular  army  and  the  National  Guard  should 
be  welded  together  in  some  way.” 

This  preparation  for  National  Defense  is  a  national  matter,  and  not 
a  state  matter.  As  the  whole  is  greater  than  any  part,  so  the  nation  is 
greater  than  any  state.  An  army  or  even  a  “Citizen  Reserve”  should 
be  under  the  guidance  and  control  of  the  Government  at  Washington,  and 
the  government  subject  to  the  advice  and  guidance  of  competent  experts 
from  the  Army  and  Navy  departments. — C.  B.  G.  # 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


3  0112  098434662 


